She's gonna be recovering from surgery

Hopefully

We'll be pullin' for ya, Giovanna. You'll be AOK. Let us know if you need anything.

Edit: Yep, I read the blog, I just didn't realize the surgery was that soon.

Edit #2: As for the subways, we can't have congressional and White House staffers commuting to work everyday sitting in filthy conditions, can we? Nope, not done in DC. No homeless folk on the trains either although they are in the parks, but only certain parks. The subways and the stations are all air-conditioned (not in Rome though). And the trains are super efficient. Always on time.

Last edited by Dani (01-22-2007 08:12:56 PM)

Giovanna wrote:

Nessy wrote:

(But the whole system is probably fairly similar and I probably will be really disappointed when I actually do ride the NYC subway...oh well.)

The NYC subway has a culture all its own, unless you're blind, stupid, or wearing an iPod, it's hard to think it's like anything else.

The L has a special culture too, but unless you actually live in Chicago no one ever talks about it. It's really disappointing, so I think I'm a little bitter.

Alithea & Dani wrote:

Thanks. It sucks, I'm getting a nice tour of the health care field from the wrong direction and I really hate what I see.

Nessy wrote:

Giovanna wrote:

The NYC subway has a culture all its own, unless you're blind, stupid, or wearing an iPod, it's hard to think it's like anything else.

The L has a special culture too, but unless you actually live in Chicago no one ever talks about it. It's really disappointing, so I think I'm a little bitter.

Ooooo, well do tell! Underground culture of any kind is .

morosemocha wrote:

Usually we stay with family out in Oyster Bay, so kitchen isn't much of a problem. When we stay in the city we stay at this awesome little hotel called The Shelbourne Murray Hill, over on Lexington. It's fantastic, 'cause it's in a residential area, so it doesn't feel touristy, but the staff is amazingly helpful (I work in hospitality, and I was impressed with them, so that's something).  But our rooms at the Shelbourne have always had a little galley kitchen. It's also incredibly reasonable. I figured it's be around 700 a night for what you get, but it's between 195-400 depending on season.  If you want a great place to stay, that's totally totally it.

Aww, but does it have this?
NWSNWSNWS
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/ … cemore.jpg
The room I stay in.
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/ … G_0391.jpg
Hallway.

For about 100bux a night, handpainted walls. I love that hotel. It's also like a ten minute walk from the one you stay at! (Gramercy) You walk out the door and immediately a great pizza place, and a couple blocks north and you hit one of the best restaurants I've been to. Mmmm. Bamiyan.

morosemocha wrote:

Giovanna wrote:

Also, Saloomi...is that by any chance the place Batali's dad runs?

it is! Tony Bourdain did a special on the PACNW, and went there -apparantly he and Batali are really close friends. I missed the first part of it, but I tuned in to see him at this orgasmic looking deli, decided I had to go there, and then Tony was like "Yeah, Mario started here when he was a kid blah blah blah " And I went HOLYWTFOMG?!

Why do you think I asked? I watch No Reservations religiously. Today's episode was just WOW. I admire Tony's ability to grin and chew through anything. He acts like a hardass but his heart's in the right place when it comes to graciously accepting what people are willing to share with you. He ate damn near raw pretty much uncleaned warthog anus. Godspeed, Bourdain. Godspeed.

Hmm...I'm happy because after my last computer up and DIED on me, I bought my new computer piece by piece, paycheck to paycheck. And now it has spiffy graphics and awesome sound. The only thing that I didn't buy myself is the monitor that mom didn't want. I'm so happy with it! And I know it's kinda...stupid!nerdy, but the power supply and motherboard have spiffy LED's and make it light up through the see-through side of the tower case.

Downside is, my uncle (lives next door) is doing what he did with the last one and raping it with his stupid cb radio.

MY MIDTERMS ARE OVER!!! YESS!!!!!



THAT MAKES ME VERY VERY HAPPY!

Giovanna wrote:

Whatever it is, it looks yum! I want!





I'm happy 'cause tomorrow I'm finally going to see the doctor! Whoooo! I've been waiting for about 3 weeks now, and that's not very fun if your condition keeps getting worse and worse.

Heh, maybe I can even sleep well this week!

What's in a canoli?  They look... interesting.

As for being asked by people for directions when you're visitng a place as well, I don't have that, but anytime I'm out buying stuff at another store for work, I'm ALWAYS asked by random customer X if I work at that particular stroe.   Sometimes it happens more than once.  it really was annoying when I went Christmas decoration shopping at Big Lots.  i had to have been aksed about four times.  Maybe I just give off that manager vibe - which is rerally, really despressing.  it's bad enough I have to actively try to not look at any restaurant I walk into with a manager's eye and note the things that need fixed.  I believe it terribly amuses my grrl.

I still find it interesting that even though I've never been to NYC, never really had any interest in going for reasons other than Broadway, I do have this very beautiful picture of a fountain in Central park in winter at night with this blueish purple filter over it framed and hung on my wall.  It's gorgeous.  Maybe I'll be ambitious enough to take a pic of it for you all.

As for my happy contribution: I somehow mananged to make bonus this last quarter.  Yay for money I had no idea I was getting.  And I get to go to Disneyland for Easter.  It's been 15-17 years since I was at Disneyland and 12 since I've been to Disneyworld.  Should be interesting and fun.

Nessy wrote:

We just have the L here, which does actually go underground also but everyone pretends it doesn't? No one calls it the subway during those bits, regardless. (But the whole system is probably fairly similar and I probably will be really disappointed when I actually do ride the NYC subway...oh well.)

I am endlessly amused by the fact that although it is called []The London Underground[/i] roughly about sixty percent of it is ABOVE ground. And actually, it scared the shit out of me the day I went to Hammersmith and I saw daylight. "What, what...um...this is the UNDERGROUND still, right?" I love being looked at like I'm crazy by Londoners. ...I just love London, really.

And Maarika, I hope you get to the doctor soon. I'm happy because I saw mine yesterday and he was wonderful and gave me a script for something I would never have gotten at home in a million years (because of its expense; the NHS being so much bigger than PHARMAC means that I can have it here in the UK WHOO). Hopefully this means I stop falling over for no reason.

And man, if anyone wants to go to New York when Gio is better, I am SO there. As long as I have enough notice, I am sure I can get over at any point.

Clarice wrote:

Nessy wrote:

We just have the L here, which does actually go underground also but everyone pretends it doesn't? No one calls it the subway during those bits, regardless. (But the whole system is probably fairly similar and I probably will be really disappointed when I actually do ride the NYC subway...oh well.)

I am endlessly amused by the fact that although it is called []The London Underground[/i] roughly about sixty percent of it is ABOVE ground. And actually, it scared the shit out of me the day I went to Hammersmith and I saw daylight. "What, what...um...this is the UNDERGROUND still, right?" I love being looked at like I'm crazy by Londoners. ...I just love London, really.

Yeah, and here it's called the L (short for "elevated train system") but the blue line and the red line both go below ground gratuitously? And the brown line definitely isn't elevated after a chunk of the north side + the Loop? Unsolved mysteries.

Giovanna wrote:

Nessy wrote:

Giovanna wrote:

The NYC subway has a culture all its own, unless you're blind, stupid, or wearing an iPod, it's hard to think it's like anything else.

The L has a special culture too, but unless you actually live in Chicago no one ever talks about it. It's really disappointing, so I think I'm a little bitter.

Ooooo, well do tell! Underground culture of any kind is .

It's not really an underground culture, I might have been exagerating a bit by calling it a culture at all. It just has a certain feel and community. I think a lot of it is based around the fact that Chicagoans really, really, really love their city. In general, we are really sentimental. So we really build up the train system to everyone else, then sit around and complain about it to each other. (Usually with this weird kind of love-hate undertone.) It's usually late, overcrowded, breaks down too often, smells like pee, has lots of unfriendly people on it who would rather be in cars, and there are sunflower seed shells scattered under most of the seats. But! Sometimes the train conductors are sweethearts (I remember once one of them read off the next stop, then proceeded to announce what the weather was and advised that "y'all have a nice hot cup of wine by the fireplace after work tonight, it's gonna be snowin'") or sometimes there will be lovely people (I seem to recall a man making newspaper hats for everyone in the car, once) and there's a bat hibernating in the stop near my eyeglasses place! There's also a lot of dorky, inside jokes that people make? Like how when you get to the Chicago street stop the train goes "This is Chicago" (and of course everyone is like "YEAH DUH") or at the Grand street stop it says "This is Grand" which is basically charming. Although they changed it recently to "This is Chicago and Franklin" and "This is Grand and State" so it's not quite as cute anymore.

.....

.......um. Yeah. As I said, we're a sentimental bunch.

Stories and things that will help you get a much clearer idea than what I'm capable of presenting: http://community.livejournal.com/chicago_el/



Oh! Also! Other thing that I am happy about! I am going to Paris over spring break!

Clarice wrote:

And man, if anyone wants to go to New York when Gio is better, I am SO there. As long as I have enough notice, I am sure I can get over at any point.

I'm a compulsive planner, you'll get plenty of notice. Consider it ON. We'll go see a taping of TDS, promise.

Dani wrote:

Giovanna wrote:

I got something very cool in the mail yesterday! (YOU PEOPLE KEEP SENDING ME THINGS. emot-aaa WHY DO YOU LOVE ME SO MUCH??? I'll just hurt you in the end, baby...)

So, are you gonna share? And yes, sorry, we're still gonna keep sending you stuff.

I don't know what the etiquette is for this sort of thing so I try not to say much...but I guess screw that! Consider this my public thank you the awesome monitor. :hug: I use the new deskspace to hide my textbooks and pretend I'm not supposed to be reading them. As for the gift in question...leather cuffs. (Is it rude to say who got them for me? I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS WORKS, I'm not used to getting gifts. )

My mother nagged me into saying what they were...I think she thinks it was like a joke or a showpiece or something.

Dani wrote:

You know I'm all over that. The more he freaks, the bigger my shit-eating grin gets. Today, he has the lowest poll numbers of his presidency. Only two presidents in history have ever had comparably low numbers.

I was disappointed, his body language was rather well-controlled. I suspect it's smugness related to knowing the Democrats are fucking themselves in their own asses thinking the country is ready for a female or black president.

Nessy wrote:

Coolness

See see see! I love subways. I think something about them just kinda breeds a community or a culture about them you won't get elsewhere, and no city is going to leave you with quite the same result.

All right, I'm also now waiting on the word of approval. Proper cuffs are a must-have, and mine suck. To go into anymore detail would mean moving to IFD.

And my request still stands. And you'd benefit too, being here.

Hm, you make an excellent point. Perhaps I should relocate to Colorado.